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Wirsbo Leaks...

03-18-2009, 05:41 PM

Some say they have never seen a problem with Wirsbo. I worked on this one a while back. It is NOT leaking at the filter or threaded joints. And to be fair the drop was only once in a great while. It was in a crawlspace so no biggie. But if it was in a wall on the second or third floor.....

I've had a misting leak inside a wall which you could not see the leak but you could see where the water was collecting on the drywall. It was not at a fitting it was in the field. The same home had a fitting leak in the attic which was not related days earlier but I was not there for that incident.

Comment

how well was that filter secured? Is it possible that excessive force was placed on that joint when the filter was changed? Keep in mind I am just trying to play devils advocate. We have had some very good luck with wirsbo.

Comment

how well was that filter secured? Is it possible that excessive force was placed on that joint when the filter was changed? Keep in mind I am just trying to play devils advocate. We have had some very good luck with wirsbo.

I recall the filter being pretty secure, but I don't have a good pic for proof. I was repairing another leak that was the real problem at the water heater. Lowboy in the crawlspace.

Didn't get a pic of that one as I was under the gun to get it done if you know what I mean.

Comment

Wirsbo CAN be finicky if you don't know a few tricks to installing it properly.

1) Carry the rings in your pocket and keep them warm. The rings seal better if they are warm when you install them. Even better, hit them with a heat gun after you install them and you'll have no problems with the ring itself.

2) When you do the last pump before you pull the expansion tool out of the pipe and put the fitting in, quickly put your pinky finger in and feel for a groove after you pull the expansion tool out. By groove I mean the expansion tool wasn't turned enough, or correctly, between expansions, which left a groove. If you feel a groove, expand it again to help make the expansion grooves more uniform. This can cause drips.

3) If there are nicks or dings on the edge of the joining suface of the Brass adapter, this can also cause leaks, obviously.

4) The key with ANY pex joint, is you must support the pipe so that there is little, if any, stress on the joint itself because of turns. For example, don't 90 bend the pipe away from the joint without isolating the joint somehow, for example by using a 90 support bend on the bend instead of bending it without one to change direction from the joint.

Guys always like to ***** about Pex like it's killing our trade. There is a right way and a wrong way to install Pex. Yes pex IS cheaper to buy, and cheaper to install. The benefits of pex are the lack of joints/fittings required, which saves labour, which is good for the plumber and the bid. But for the installation itself, despite the restrictive fittings in comparision to Copper, pex should have significantly less fittings which redudes pressure drop/loss. Ideally in most cases the only fittings should be where the Pex ties into a tee or a manifold, and the last fittng before the stop for the fixture. If you saw properly installed Pex it is much like looking at a solid Copper rough in which is supported properly with neatly soldered, wiped clean, joints, that are straight, level, plumb, etc. It looks good, and should last a long time.

Some say they have never seen a problem with Wirsbo. I worked on this one a while back. It is NOT leaking at the filter or threaded joints. And to be fair the drop was only once in a great while. It was in a crawlspace so no biggie. But if it was in a wall on the second or third floor.....

Comment

It looks like that was put together incorrectly. Look how far back the sleeve is pushed back onto the tubing.... The sleeve is supposed to be put like 1/8 of an inch extending over the end of the tubing. Also, is that a wirsbo fitting its connected to? It looks like a galvanized fitting in the picture.

Comment

It looks like that was put together incorrectly. Look how far back the sleeve is pushed back onto the tubing.... The sleeve is supposed to be put like 1/8 of an inch extending over the end of the tubing. Also, is that a wirsbo fitting its connected to? It looks like a galvanized fitting in the picture.

Wirsbo fitting screwed into a galvanized bushing. Some love Wirsbo. Completely fine with me. But if Viega continues a good track record with their crimp/PEX system, I can't imagine an installer choosing Wirsbo with the increased time and finickyness of their installation.